Sins of the Father
by BloodofWolves
Summary: Vili was a master thief and managed to steal from the treasury of Erebor. Now his sons carry the weight of his crimes; they are often accused of being thieves themselves. But Fili and Kili seem too sweet for such things. What their family doesn't know is that behind their angelic smiles are anger and bitterness... And maybe a bit of madness. (Smaug never attacked, darker later on.)
1. A Theft

_The two shadows moved through the streets of Dale._

_They turned to a building and stopped. Then one bent down slightly, intertwining his fingers together to form a step. The other shadow put a booted foot on the makeshift step and stood, his fingers grasping the edge of a windowsill._

_He pulled himself up and silently touched one foot down on the floorboards; the loudest sound he made was a tiny thud from his other foot touching the floor. Moonlight was shining through the windows, just enough for the hooded shadow to see. The room he was in was a bedroom; a man was sleeping in the bed, his wife next to him._

_The shadow turned to the bureau, then emptied out the jewelry box and put all the rings and necklaces and gems and clasps into his pouch. When it was full, he went to the window and dropped the small bag to the waiting shadow below._

_Slowly, the figure made his way through the house, taking anything that was made of precious metals. He took a ruby-encrusted hair clip from the daughter's room and gold braid clasps from the twin boys' room. Downstairs, he took the silver cups and saucers, silverware and the family heirlooms that hung on the walls as décor. Alongside that, he found a safe and unlocked it. Inside were several bags of gold, which he quickly took._

_Taking a quick sweep of the cellar and finding nothing valuable, the thief walked to the front door, his satchel heavy with items. He unlocked it, opened it and stepped out, then locked it again and closed it quietly._

_The two thieves began to travel towards the Lonely Mountain, satisfied smirks on their faces._

• • •

"Another heist," Thrór grumbled, reading the report.

"Again?" Dís asked, looking up from her breakfast meal.

"The 3rd time this week," Thraín confirmed. "And no one has seen the thieves."

"Then the guards in Dale are doing a terrible job," Frerin said, through a mouthful of eggs. Thraín gave his son a stern look and the prince swallowed, repeating his words clearly.

"These thieves must have been trained quite well to pull such crimes off so easily. What was stolen this time?" Thorin put in.

"Diamond necklaces, gold and emerald rings, a ruby-encrusted hair clip, 4 gold braid clasps, silver cups and saucers, silverware, plenty of gold, and all their family heirlooms that were in the house."

"It seems like a pattern," Thorin said. "Only men with terrible reputations seem to be robbed."

"Who was this man?" Frerin asked.

"Narune, son of Radine. According to the guards, he's been the cause of many tavern brawls and he has made many biased comments against the line of Durin. Rather rude ones."

"The others made such comments, _and_ accusations of us being thieving rats," Thraín said bitterly.

Dís smiled. "And if Thorin is right about this being a pattern, then perhaps there is someone determined to protect the dignity of our family, though it's in a harmful way."

Fili and Kili both yawned, their heads down on the table. Their breakfast plates were untouched. Dís frowned at them, "When did you two get to bed?"

"Dunno," Fili yawned. "Late, I think…"

Frerin chuckled. "Perhaps later than that?"

"Shut up," Kili muttered.

Fili lifted his head and looked at their mother. "Can we go into town later?"

"If you both go to your studies – without complaint! But take a nap first if you aren't going to eat." Eager to leave, the boys were on their feet and rushing to their rooms.

Once in the safety of their shared chambers, they pushed Kili's bed several feet to the left and Kili pried up one of the floorboards, revealing a small hole. Reaching his arm in, he grabbed the strap of a satchel and lifted it out. Fili took out a pouch the size of his two fists together, then pulled up 3 large sacks of gold coins.

"How are we supposed to get all this into the treasury?" Kili asked.

"We could say the miners asked us to bring it over," Fili said. "We'll just put it all into new bags and no one would know."

"Okay," Kili said. He yawned, "Should we do it after our lessons? I _do _very much need a nap, and a long one."

Fili nodded in agreement. "As do I, brother. We'll put this all in the treasury, then go to Dale. I want to see how our 'friend' is faring with the sudden loss of his riches."

Kili agreed and they placed the stolen items back into the hidden hole. They put the floorboard back into place, then pushed Kili's bed over it. On separate sides of the room, they got into bed and fell asleep.

• • •

"Have you two finished your-?"

"Yes, Momma!" The two boys replied in unison, smiling. They both kissed Dís's cheek before running to the gates. The dwarrowdam frowned, watching her sons vanish from sight.

"Come on, Kili," Fili insisted, grabbing his brother's arm and pulling him. Kili stumbled, "Hey! Stop it, I can walk!"

"You walk too slow."

Kili grumbled as they walked towards the city of Dale. They passed people and guards and shops that had colorful banners.

As they approached the market, they turned and stopped, then changed their direction and walked into the tavern. As they walked in, they heard an angry voice.

"Those damn thieves! They'll pay for what they've done to me. The moment I know their names, I'll kill them myself, and no one will get in my way!"

Fili and Kili made no comment, listening to Narune's furious words. They felt satisfied that they had caused suffering for the biased dwarf.

"Two ales," Fili said as they sat on stools at the bar. He dropped a few gold coins on the table as payment. The barmaid took the coins and went off to fill two mugs with creamy ale. As they waited, the princes listened to Narune's angry ranting, and the comment made by the dwarf's friends.

"What if it was those princes?"

This made them turn, their eyes narrowing.

"Wouldn't be a surprise," said another dwarf. "Everyone knows about their father. Don't know how the king let them stay around after birth!"

"Must've been a drunken night for both of them! The princess wouldn't have done such things with a common thief while sober."

Kili looked at his brother. "Fili…"

Fili was balling his hands into fists, clenching his jaw in anger. Both were sensitive about their father, and as children everyone had believed they would take interest in the same profession. When they showed no signs of it, there were sighs of relief.

But they were very much like Vili. They could be as silent as hobbits, and they could tell the worth of an item by looking at it.

Now Narune and his friends seemed more interested in talking about the princes instead of the theft and Fili was on the edge of rage. When their mugs of ale came, Kili took them both and grabbed his brother's arm, pulling Fili from the stool to the street.

They both sat on the road, their backs against the tavern wall. Fili calmed down as they sipped their drinks.

"They don't know us, Fee. They're just trying to make themselves feel better."

"I know," Fili mumbled. "But they're right. We are thieves, just like Father."

"Fili," Kili said firmly. "Shut up. Yes, we are thieves, but we only do it when it's necessary. We steal from people who insult our family. They can say what they want about us, but that doesn't mean any of it is true."

"I know, Kee. But it's so infuriating."

Kili smiled and rested his head on Fili's shoulder. "I know."


	2. A Lack of Appreciation

**I'm going to add this quick note in for dwarf ages: I don't know if there is any official system for converting human age to dwarf age, but I've written my own fantasy novels with the dwarf race where the conversion from human to dwarf is the human age x2 to get the dwarf age, and then the dwarf age is divided by 2 to get the human age. I'd also like to note that from this chapter onwards, there will be a section in the very beginning of each chapter where it will show a young Fili or Kili displaying thieving behavior.**

**Also, this chapter conveys on the back story of Vili :)**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**~ BloodofWolves**

"_Come on, Fili. You need to give the toy back."_

"_But I want it!"_

"_And it isn't yours. We didn't come to buy toys, and I'm sure Bifur and Bofur will still have it tomorrow."_

"_But Momma-"_

"_Fili, right now!"_

_The young blond prince huffed and crossed his arms. He walked back, put the toy on the shelf, and walked over to his mother, pouting with his arms crossed. Dís smiled at her child and took her hand._

_In the pocket of his trousers, the small wooden warrior toy was hidden securely._

• • •

"Momma, what was father like?"

Dís looked at her boys. "Hmm?"

It was settling into evening; several hours after Fili and Kili had gone to Dale and overheard Narune and his friends badmouthing them.

"You never talk about him."

Dís sighed. "When I met your father, he was a very polite dwarf, and he'd been very generous with giving flattering comments."

"Where did you meet him?" Fili asked.

"There was a ball, and if I remember correctly, it was for Frerin's birthday- You should have seen how annoyed your uncles were for having to dress so formally. All the dwarves in Erebor and Dale had been invited to it. Your father had just been another face in the crowd until he asked me to a dance. He told me all these interesting stories about places he'd been to, and he was very interesting himself. We had a few drinks, one thing led to another and you were made that night, Fili."

Fili flushed. "What about me?" Kili asked.

Dís smiled. "You were years later. After that night with your father, he had left before I had woken, and for that I had resented him. When Fili was 10, he had come back, apologizing and giving an excuse that I could believe. He had thought that I'd regretted what we'd done and he had left to spare me the shame. He swore that he hadn't heard of Fili until he had been passing through Dale. We were in a relationship after that, even engaged. During the engagement, you were conceived. But at the same time, Vili was also stealing from Erebor. Coins, diamonds, silver. He had friends outside the mountain that he was working with. We only knew a few days after you were born, Kili. By then we had been married, and he had seemed like the perfect father- he spent time with Fili and he handled you as though you were more valuable than the Arkenstone 10 times over. He didn't seem like a thief at all."

Fili frowned. "Then how did you find out?"

"A guard overheard him talking to his 'friends' in Dale. Apparently, he would sneak out in the middle of the night to bring gems from the treasury. When they were caught, Vili tried to use our marriage as leverage to get out of execution."

"Did it work?" Kili asked.

Dís chuckled. "Of course not." Then her voice dropped slightly, "Your great-Grandfather is plagued with a gold sickness. It runs through our family. Even if I had forgiven Vili, begged for him to live, it wouldn't have changed anything."

"They… They killed him?" Kili's voice had become quiet.

Dís shook her head. "There's something different about thieves. We hang the petty ones and appoint the great ones to public office. Your father was too wily and clever to not slip out of that situation. Honestly, I do not care where he is, if he still lives, or what he has done with his life."

"I wish I could meet him," Fili murmured. Dís and Kili looked at him with surprised looks and he was quick to explain himself. "I want to know why he did it. Why he married you just to steal. Couldn't he have just gotten a job in Erebor to do it? No one suspect a servant or blacksmith."

"I don't know his real reasons, but I suspect he chose to marry me because of you, Fili. You existed and he couldn't have come to Erebor without being questioned harshly."

"But how come you didn't suspect him?" Kili asked.

Dís gave her youngest a stern look. "Because, Kili, a woman does not wake up one day and suspect that her faithful husband is stealing from her family. If a random dwarf walked up to you and said that Fili was plotting against the line of Durin, would you believe it?"

"No," Kili grumbled. "But-"

"But what? Logic does not matter when it comes to matters of the heart, Kili. Love is a tricky business. You both are young, and when the two of you have your own wives and children, you will begin to understand."

• • •

"What are we to do with these thieves?" Lord Sydin demanded.

Fili shifted in his chair. Council meetings were not his idea of fun.

"That is what we are here to discuss. These are no ordinary thieves. They leave no mark behind."

"We keep saying 'thieves', plural. How can we be sure this is not a single thief?" Frerin asked.

The council members grumbled. "Surely this cannot be a single man or dwarf. They wouldn't have been able to carry all those gems."

"Then they had a partner. It's the best thing to assume." Thorin smiled at his brother, who had huffed.

"You mentioned something before, Prince Thorin, about these heists all being linked by the victim's reputation."

"Aye."

"Care to explain in depth?"

Thorin hesitated. "I can't explain from a thief's perspective, but they seem as if they care about our line's reputation politically. All these victims have terrible reputations themselves, and have publically stated their opinion of us- which, if I may add, are biased and mostly lies."

The council chambers broke out into conversations, each dwarf consulting the other.

"We should leave it alone," Fili muttered. Then he said it louder, "We should leave it alone!"

Suddenly the chambers fell silent and all eyes were on the young dwarf. Immediately, they began to argue.

"Foolish child!"

"Who let the dwarfling into the chambers?"

"Leave it alone? Hah!"

Fili shrunk back into his chair, embarrassed. "I-I only meant…"

Thraín, taking pity on his grandson, shouted "QUIET!" Once silence filled the chambers again, he nodded to the blond prince. "Explain your meaning, Fili."

"I-I just meant, that these thieves…" Fili swallowed, nervous. "I just meant that these thieves must favor our family for them to protect our dignity. Maybe one of our ancestors did a favor for one of their own past relatives, and they are trying to repay it. After al-"

"With all due respect, Thraín, I _do _believe this boy is in need of higher education. Clearly, it-"

Something in Fili snapped. He despised these 'high-and-mighty' dwarf lords, these damn council members who thought he was stupid and dim simply because he was young.

He stood up abruptly, making his chair fall back as his palms slammed on the table in anger. "_Does it __**sound**__ like I'm done, or are you just too dim-witted to listen to simple words coming from a 'child'!?_"

They had all been startled by Fili's outburst. "Fili!" Thorin hissed, grabbing his nephew's arms to pull him down.

Fili jerked his arm out of Thorin's grip. "You don't know these thieves, their history, what they've been through. Maybe they're trying to help and you're just-"

"Fili." This time it was coming from Frerin. The elder dwarf stood with a smile, "Come on, Fee. Maybe Kili needs you."

Fili gave each council member a firm glare. "I'm of age in three years," he added in a hostile voice before following Frerin to the door.

• • •

Kili was in their chambers, fiddling with a dwarven puzzle block. Sighing, he tossed it to the floor.

Suddenly Fili stormed in, and he looked up. "How was the council meeting?" he asked.

Fili didn't answer, laying on his bed and huffing.

"That bad?"

"Those _stupid_ dwarves! They don't realize that we're trying to do something good. Those _thieves_ are trying to do something good."

"We're trying to turn something bad into something good," Kili murmured. Fili nodded in agreement.

**Quick note: In one of the paragraphs there's the line "We hang the petty ones and appoint the great ones to office." It's a quote by Aesop which I tweaked a bit, and here's the original line: "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to office."**


	3. Mistakes Are Made

**PLEASE review! It means a lot! And it encourages me to write, but no reviews get me discouraged, and if I get discouraged then the story gets pretty awful or people who enjoy it.**

"_Kili!"_

_Kili looked back at his brother, who nodded. The brunette dwarfling slowly walked up to the human man; it was windy, and the man's cloak was billowing with the gusts. Kili managed to grab the end of it, reach his entire arm into the pocket, and pull out an emerald ring._

_He ran back into his brother's arms, giggling. They both looked at it; the stone was green and had a K carved into it._

"_K for Kili," Fili giggled._

• • •

Fili sat at the breakfast table the next morning, his head down.

"If you ever- _Fili!_"

"W-What?"

"Are you listening to me, boy?" Thraín glared at the dwarfling.

"Yes, Grandfather," Fili murmured.

"Then look at me!"

Fili looked up, and his blue eyes met Thraín's.

"Fili," Thraín said. "You're young, too young to know certain things about kingship. But you should have known better than to speak to the council members like that! You are underage, a dwarfling. If they form terrible opinions of you, they will not support you as king."

"Kili would," Fili grumbled.

"Kili is one dwarf, and not a kingdom. You are a future king, and you _must_ act like it!"

Fili clenched his fists. He was tired of hearing this speech- he was a future king, he had to act as if he were already a king. He had to set an example.

"What if I'm not going to be a king? What if something happens, like a battle and I'm run through with a sword? If I'm killed and-"

"Fili," Thraín cut off. There was still anger in the dwarf's voice but also sadness. Thraín loved his eldest grandson dearly and it pained him to hear Fili talk about his own death. "Don't speak like that. You will not be killed. You will be one of the greatest kings ever to rule, I believe that just by looking at you."

Fili met his grandfather's eyes again and the anger and annoyance was gone. "I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes filling with tears. He hugged Thraín tightly.

Thraín smiled and put his arms around the lad. "All is forgiven, Fili. I suppose the council meetings should wait until you're of age."

Fili nodded, pressing his face into Thraín's beard. Dwarf years were shorter than human years, and Durin's Day was in a couple of months- the summer days were quickly coming to an end.

Fili felt safe in his grandfather's strong arms. Warm, safe, protected. That was how he felt when he was with his family.

• • •

Kili giggled, riding on Frerin's back. "Faster!"

Frerin groaned. "You're heavy, Kee!" The prince slowed to a walk. Kili pouted, kicking Frerin's leg.

Thorin chuckled, walking alongside his brother and nephew.

Kili swung his legs, suddenly grinning. "'Bet I can beat you in hide 'n seek!"

Frerin adjusted the dwarfling higher up on his back. "Hear that, brother?" He asked, looking at Thorin with a grin that mirrored Kili's. "It sounds like a challenge to me."

Thorin hesitated for a moment. He and Frerin were grown, not little dwarflings anymore.

But Kili was a dwarfling still, and their nephew. That was as good an excuse as any.

"I guess it is," he decided with a smile. "Both of you, go hide."

Frerin put Kili down and they both disappeared down the hall. Thorin turned to count.

Kili ran through the halls, separating from his uncles. Within moments, he found himself standing on the ledge that overlooked the grand treasury room.

An idea popped into his mind and he grinned, rushing down the stairs. He could hide in the treasury, and he'd win the game. He ran into the room, until the paths disappeared and he was climbing up a large pile.

He crouched there, hidden from view. He smiled to himself, very satisfied with his hiding spot. He laid down carefully and stared up at the ceiling, still smiling. Soon his eyes closed.

After a while, voices drew near. At first, he wondered if it was Uncle Thorin and Uncle Frerin, come to catch him and torture him with tickling (The youngest prince was _very_ ticklish, and both Thorin and Frerin liked to use this to their advantage.)

He got up to move to a second pile where he'd be more secluded when his weight suddenly was too much on the gold coins. They slipped out from under his feet and he cried out as the pile flattened out. He tumbled to the ground and banged his head on the stone floor of the path.

He looked up and swallowed hard, staring up at a blurry figure.

After a few blinks, his vision cleared and he saw the angry gaze of Thrór looking down at him with mistrust.

"Who said you could be in here, boy?" Thrór demanded. His expression suddenly seemed murderous.

Kili scrambled to his feet, than felt something weighing down his trousers. He looked down and saw that handfuls of gold coins had fallen into his pockets. Thrór thought he was thieving.

He paled. "N-No one, I just, we were-"

"Kili!"

Thorin and Frerin ran to them. "Sorry, Grandfather," Thorin said as they both bowed to the king. "We were playing a hiding game, and we forgot to tell him he couldn't hide in here. He wasn't doing any harm on purpose."

Frerin picked Kili up. Thrór eyed him, "Alright. But neither he nor his brother, are allowed in here again!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Kili sniffed, on the verge of tears. Frerin passed him to Thorin, and they turned to leave.

"Boy!"

Thorin turned, Thrór glaring at the youngest Durin. Kili swallowed and looked down; his pockets were still full of coins. Letting go of his uncle, he quickly took out the coins and dropped them to the floor. He turned his pockets inside out to show that he had no more. Immediately after, he wrapped his arms around Thorin's neck, clinging to the elder dwarf fearfully.

He knew Thrór was overcome with dragon sickness. Thraín had it as well. Thorin struggled with it, and Frerin was starting to show signs. Kili knew that someday, Fili would become sick as well. He himself would struggle. But Thorin was still himself, and he would never allow harm to come to his two nephews.

Both his uncles murmured words of comfort to him as he cried. Thorin cradled him like a little dwarfling, telling him softly that he'd done nothing wrong, and Thrór hadn't been thinking right. Nevertheless, Kili cried all the way to his room. Thorin laid him in his bed and the blankets were pulled over him. "Just sleep, Kee," Frerin cooed. "All is well." Both princes kissed the boy's temple before leaving.

• • •

**A bit short… But the next one will be longer! Alas, both boys have done things that need forgiveness.**


End file.
